Indianapolis families remember lives lost to violence

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Indianapolis families remember lives lost to violence

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Families are remembering those killed by violence and calling for an end to it.

Wednesday, they gathered at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Indianapolis to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and victims of violence in Indianapolis.

One by one, the names of those killed in 2018 were read and a candle was lit in their honor.

“Unfortunately my son was murdered for no apparent reason in broad daylight,” Jennifer Cameron said.

Cameron’s son, Jeshon, was found shot to death in a car outside a BP on July 16. She shared his story with those there.

“I want his story to be out there so that people can get to know him who he was as a person and know he was doing what he needed to do right in life and was a great kid and didn’t deserve it,” she said.

She stood alongside other mothers who have been impacted by violence, in front of an audience filled by other community members, loved ones and police.

“One of our goals, our missions, is to make sure that these stories are never forgotten and that they’re not just a number or piece of data but they’re actually loved ones that mean a whole lot to a lot of people,” Deandra Yates-Dycus said.

She founded Purpose 4 My Pain which hosted the event alongside Moms Demand Action, We LIVE and The Dijon Anderson Foundation.

“It’s affected 154 families in this city and counting, so just wanted to show that unity to say we’re tired and we want to come together to see how we can reduce gun violence in Indianapolis,” Yates-Dycus said.

IMPD said so far this year there have been 148 criminal homicides, 164 homicides and 404 non-fatal shootings. IMPD has a homicide clearance rate just over 63 percent.